On July 20, migrant and labor groups gathered outside the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington, in support of Kuya (meaning ‘older brother’) Nestor, who is a Filipino migrant detained in the facility. Similar to many previous cases, Kuya Nestor was detained on June 28, 2026 at the Seattle-Tacoma airport upon his arrival from a vacation in the Philippines. He was kept there for two days with no shower or change of clothes, before being transferred to NWDC.
According to an Action Network petition asking to free him, Kuya Nestor first came to the US in 2007, and has since built a family with his partner, with whom he has two daughters. He is his family’s main breadwinner, working at the University of California San Diego Medical Center. He is also an active union member of AFSCME 3299. Rafael from Tanggol Migrante, who co-emceed the event, shared his experience visiting Kuya Nestor inside the NWDC: “He’s such a sweet person. He’s actually supporting other detainees inside, saving food to share with other people. He’s always talking about his family and how he misses them, too.”
Surge of ICE arrests reflects expanding immigration crackdown
After reported pressure from the White House to record a quota of 2,000 arrests a day nationwide, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) set a monthly record high of 51,000 individuals taken into custody in July 2026 alone, showing a trend of ICE rebounding this year since the murder of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by ICE agents last year in Minneapolis, MN.
Kuya Nestor attested to experiencing this first hand as he joined the event via phone call. “Pinapahirapan talaga nila mga Pilipino. Dumadami na rin mga Pilipinong hinaharang nila, ginigipit nila, mahirap talaga dito sa loob,” he shared: “They really make it harder for the Filipinos. They are detaining more and more Filipinos here and really harassing us in here, it’s really difficult here.” He talked about an older Filipino man he met inside NWDC who was detained even with a clean record.
The NWDC has long been criticized for its inhumane treatment of detainees and substandard food and conditions inside. Just in the past month, more than 140 detained people inside NWDC participated in a hunger strike over alleged inedible food and medical neglect, the 20th hunger strike in the facility this year alone. It only ended on August 20th. The NWDC is owned and operated by the private, for-profit corporation GEO Group, which allegedly makes money by detaining as many individuals as they can while keeping maintenance costs as low as possible.
Scheduled hearing canceled
Removal proceedings for immigration detainees can take anywhere from a few months to a few years. According to a brief by The Forum, the process starts with a Master Calendar Hearing after an individual is issued a Notice to Appear (NTA). During the MCH, the immigration judge reviews the charges against the individual, and informs them about the process. After this review, the individual can state their claim for relief and can file an application to stay in the U.S., and they can request for a bond hearing. However, since a July 8 memo from ICE’s acting director Todd Lyons, bond hearings have been severely restricted.
After the MCH and bond hearings, detainees are placed in the docket to wait for their individual merits hearing, which is their chance to present their case to remain in the U.S., before immigration judges issue a final decision on whether the individual will be allowed to remain in the U.S. or be deported.
After being detained at the NWDC for almost three weeks, Kuya Nestor’s MCH was originally scheduled on the morning of July 20th. “Ginising nila ako ng 7:30, sabi may court daw ako, pero wala naman nung pumunta ako. Di daw sila magproceed kasi di pa nafile,” shared Kuya Nestor: “They woke me up at 7:30 and told to go to court, but as it turned out, when we got there, they said they could not proceed since my case had not yet been filed.”
Mike Yestramski of AFSCME 28 spoke during the event, recounting his experiences inside the NWDC earlier that day. “It’s emotional being in there,” he shared. “The dehumanizing nature that they put folks through in there is unacceptable.” He was there to accompany Kuya Nestor during his hearing. When asked when the MCH was going to be rescheduled, Yestramski said that the person at the desk did not know, and told them to call a phone number, even though the officers took their cell phones before they could walk in, and they refused to give them a piece of paper to even write the phone number down. “They’re putting every barrier they can put in front of people so that they cannot have basic due process and basic human rights. And that is unacceptable. These are human beings. These are people who deserve respect.”
No help from Philippine Consulate
After the recent reopening of the Philippine Consulate in Seattle, there has been a lot of hope that the new Philippine Consulate General would be able to better advocate for Filipino migrants, especially those who are being detained in the NWDC. Unfortunately, Filipinos in detention have yet to experience the Philippine government’s support, as stated first-hand by Kuya Nestor’s domestic partner, Lovelyn, who joined the event from California via video call. “Sana matulungan kami ng Philippine government. Pinagmemessage namin sila, pero walang reply. Humihingi kami ng tulong, pero walang tulong na binibigay,” Lovelyn shared her frustration and disappointment: “We hope the Philippine government can help us. We have been messaging them, but there has been no reply. We have been asking for help, but we have yet to receive it.” The writer reached out to the Philippine Consulate in Seattle, but did not receive a response.
As a representative from the Philippine-U.S. Solidarity Organization (PUSO) Tacoma shared, “It’s really the duty of the Philippine government to intervene for their nationals.” The Philippine Consulate has a responsibility to actively advocate for their nationals in their jurisdiction through their Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Section, and they could potentially help with migrant detainees’ legal fees. Another representative from Tanggol Migrante pointed out that “Filipino nationals send money back home, and that’s actually taxed and profited off of by the Philippine government, so these funds should be going to Kuya Nestor and to the many Filipinos that are detained in this situation.
According to Tanggol Migrante, the Philippine Consulate advised they would be visiting the detainees at NWDC. However, they reported that the detainees were forced to wait for two hours, which indicated the Consulate’s lack of urgency to help its nationals. In lieu of official government support from the Philippine Consulate, grassroots organizations such as Tanggol Migrante have been supporting detained migrants such as Kuya Nestor through fundraising and weekly visits at the NWDC, but also through advocacy with state and national legislators and partnerships with other groups and sectors. As Indira Trejo of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement stated during the event in solidarity with Kuya Nestor and other Filipino detainees: “I want everybody to hear us. Even more terrible things are happening in our community, and there is a huge need for the stories of people to be shared. But we’re here, we’re not going anywhere, and we stand with Kuya Nestor, with the whole Filipino community, and every immigrant in this country.
Adrian Alarilla, PhD, is a program evaluator, writer, researcher, and filmmaker. Born and raised in the Philippines, he is currently based south of in Seattle, and has a PhD in History from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Besides contributing to the International Examiner, he is an associate with Alaska-based consulting firm Stellar Group, and has worked with Tribal, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies in Alaska, Hawaiʻi, and the Pacific Islands.
